NO.1 KCC WOMEN SAIL INTO NJCAA FINALS

PORT HURON, Mich. - Three games, three blowouts.

Now the Kirkwood women's basketball team needs one more victory to claim the NJCAA Division II national title and give Coach Kim Muhl his eighth crown.

The top-ranked Eagles defeated Bryant & Stratton College, 69-41, in the national semifinals Friday night at the SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, Mich.

Kirkwood (35-1) will face Morton College (30-2) in the championship game Saturday night at 6:30. Morton College, the No. 7 seed from Illinois, handed CCBC-Essex its first loss of the season in the other semifinal, 84-72.

Kirkwood has won its first three games at the national tournament by 30, 23 and 28 points. The Eagles grabbed a 23-6 lead against Bryant & Stratton in the first quarter Friday and were never seriously
threatened.

Kirkwood defeated Bryant & Straton three times this season, all by lopsided amounts.

Tasia Jordan paced the Eagles Friday with 21 points in 17 minutes, hitting 7 of 9 shots and grabbing five rebounds. Kortney Drake popped in five 3-pointers for 15 points. Ashley Tull and Tatiana Hodges-Johnson both snared 12 rebounds, helping the Eagles to a 51-24 bulge on the boards.

A look to the National Championship game -

NJCAA nationally ranked No. 1, seeded No. 1 Kirkwood (35-1) will meet up with nationally ranked No. 10, seeded No. 7 Morton (30-2) at 6:30pm CST.  

Morton College (Cicero, IL) - throughout the tournament, they have been led in scoring by Tadriana Heard averaging 17.6 ppg, Franchesca Metz 14.6 ppg, and Dylan Van Fleet 14.3 ppg.

Kirkwood - overall averages 80.3 ppg and defensively 46 ppg / national tournament 72.6 ppg and defensively 45.6 ppg

Morton - overall averages 81.5 ppg and defensively 45.1 ppg / national tournament 67.3 and defensively 60.3 ppg